Suffering Families Call to Investigate All Gambling-related Suicide

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: December 29, 2021

One summer afternoon in 2015, Joshua Jones donned a dress and walked to a shining building in London. Despite that it was his day off, he was in great distress after betting his monthly salary and annual bonus which is why he informed a colleague that he had to come to the office. Early in the morning, he took the elevator to the top floor of the building and jumped from the building. He was 23 years old.

Martin Jones is the father of Joshua Jones. According to him, Joshua was a very friendly person who led a double live due to the gambling addiction which he couldn’t control. Jones’ family in Westminster met with other similar families, families of 18 young people who have died due to destructive betting habits.

Fifty relatives from 18 British families, backed by the charity Gambling with Lives, are now calling for their voices to have listened ahead of the forthcoming White Paper on Gambling Law Review. They are also asking public health to be aware of the life-threatening risks associated with addictive foods, and that made betting safe.

It includes modifications to more risky products, full access controls, promotion bans, and incentives for gambling such as rewards, bonuses, and VIP programs. Among the family members was also Annie Ashton. She lost her partner Luke in April to being addicted to the free bet bonus betting. The mother, Judith Bruney, also lost her child Chris after receiving VIP status from the betting company.

The couple is co-founders of Gambling with Lives and will be performing at the occasion. They also discuss their situations with Culture Minister Nadine Dorries after a recent meeting. At about 11:30 am, all 50 family members assembled outside Westminster on College Green Street, carrying photographs of their dead beloveds.

Youth At High Risk of Gambling-related Suicide

The latest UK Department of Health report proves the appalling number of gambling-related deaths and estimates the research is 409 suicides per game per year in the UK. A study by Gambling with Lives shows that at least 10% of suicides have linked with betting, and gamblers are 15 times more likely to commit suicide than the public.

There are between 340k and 1.4M players in the UK, including a minimum of 55k kids who are addicted to betting. Charles and Liz Ritchie’s son Jack also committed suicide after being seduced by betting at school. According to Charles, it is unsatisfactory that thousands of people, mostly young people, die every year with gambling addiction.

Deaths related to gambling must be correctly registered, and each case must be investigated independently.

Local Treatments are Available Everywhere

The Gambling Commission was not able to reveal how many cases of suicide were exactly related to gambling addiction, however, they said that gambling companies were demanded to report in case some of their clients have committed suicide.

“Any loss of life connected with gambling harm is one too many, and we are absolutely committed to protecting the safety of the public and players. As a regulator of the industry, we will continue to hold license-holders fully accountable, take enforcement action and make sure operators are interacting with customers to identify early signs of harm,” – stated the Gambling Commission.